[General] A sinking ship

I have never been on a ship, let alone one that is sinking. But after the last 4 years I have a pretty good idea what it would feel like.

Joining a telecom firm in 2001 was not a smart idea to start with but then I had no real option. Ever since then not a year has passed without layoffs or restructuring as it's called around here. The most insiduous effect of the sinking ship syndrome is not the constant threat of lay offs, it is the absolute lack of change. This lack of any real turnover - of people going out and new people and ideas coming in - results in a stale, masturbatory culture where self congratulation rules, superstitions become laws and the universe outside this fiefdom is deemed inferior.

Then why did I stick around for 4 years? Fear of the unknown, good old fashioned sloth and that indomitable bastard - hope. Once you have decided to do something (or not do something as in this case) it's always easy to find a rationale - just ask Bush. And so did I, kidding myself that things would work out just fine if I just hung on tight. Now that I have decided to emerge from this cocoon and move on, it is very disconcerting to have a mirror thrust in my face. While I was spending the last 4 years congratulating myself for not getting laid off, the world has moved on. I am in that strange zone - no longer an entry level engineer not yet a senior level architect.

Hell, I just paraphrased Britney Spears - this better be rock bottom !

[General] Spot the intrepid angler

I took this photo during our Yellowstone trip over the July 4th weekend. A beer (or coke) to anyone who can spot this guy.

[India] Why so touchy?

Recently a blogger (attagirl) published a post where she wrote a humorous piece on south indian accents. She immediately became a target of outraged comments which accused her of being prejudiced. Infact one poster pledged not to marry north indian girls. (No really!!) Why are we Indians so incapable of laughing at ourselves? No, I am not asking this question simply on the basis of this incident. Infact this was a minor incident. Anyone who has even half an eye on the news must have noticed how little it takes to get people out on the streets protesting some imaginary slight. Every group in India seems to have its sacred cows. Shivaji for Shiv Sainiks, Bose for Bengalis, Quran for Shahabuddin types, the list just goes on. Are we so insecure that every harmless comment, gesture, joke is seen as a frontal assault on our identity and values?

What I find intriguing is that while I was growing up in a town in eastern India in the 80's and 90's, nothing was offlimits when it came to jokes. We could and did make fun of any language, any religion, any god and no one took any offence. So is it that we lose our sense of humour as we grow up? Or has India changed since the time I grew up there? Or do people still make fun of everything in private but are eager to outraged when the jokes are made at a public forum?